1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a container for holding prescription medicine in pill or capsule form, and in particular to a container incorporating features to reduce the risk of harm to the patient in the event that the prescription is erroneously filled.
2. Description of the Prior Art
All too frequently, errors are made by pharmacists or their assistants in filling prescriptions. Some of these errors are caught by the patient who notices the difference in the medication compared to medication previously obtained for the same prescription. However, under certain circumstances, the patient may not notice the error. For example, the erroneous medication, e.g., a pill, and the correct pill may be similar in appearance, or the error may occur the first time that the prescription is being filled. In other instances, the patient may simply fail to notice the mistake because differences in size and/or color of the pills are difficult to detect, particularly if the patient has less than perfect vision.
Errors in the filling of prescriptions can arise from a variety of circumstances. In many instances, the error can be attributed to the inattention of the pharmacist, particularly during times when there is a need to fill a large number of prescriptions. Also, the error can be occasioned by the lack of experience of the pharmacist with the particular prescription, or the general lack of experience of the pharmacist's assistant. Other errors can be caused by the similarity of unrelated pills in color and/or shape. Errors can also arise from name similarities, e.g., Feldene/Seldane, Lodine/Codeine, or Prilosec/Prozac.
Errors by pharmacists will continue to occur. Those errors that are not caught by the patient as least deprive the patient of the benefit of the prescribed medication. At worst, the errors can result in death or serious injury. In addition, malpractice errors can result in considerable expense to the negligent pharmacist, or his or her insurer.
Due to the large number of prescription drugs, elimination of pills with similar colors, shapes and/or names is mathematically impossible. In fact, the extent of the problem will increase over time as new drugs become available. Human error will also continue. Therefore, there is a pressing and increasing need for a means to detect erroneously filled prescriptions.